Naples is a charming resort city on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico along Southwest Florida’s Paradise Coast. Visitors luxuriate in the area’s stylish atmosphere, which includes beautiful pedestrian walks with shops, art galleries and restaurants and row after row of palatial homes surrounded by tropical landscaping. The area is famous for its beautiful white sand beaches, golf courses, fishing, boating, water sports, arts and culture and spectacular sunsets. Visitors in the slower season from May through December often enjoy significant savings on hotel room rates, while still enjoying the elegant ambience and charm of this beautiful coastal city.

Naples is growing in popularity with families and as a romantic retreat for younger couples and families. Long known as a hideaway for retirees, the area has evolved to appeal to a wider, more diverse and younger audience with its vibrant downtown café scene and exhilarating outdoor adventure activities.

LIFE’S A BEACH - The splendor of Naples begins with its powdery white sand beaches, which extend from the recreational settings of the parks and public access beaches near downtown Naples to the more secluded seaside havens to the north. Naples’ beaches are regarded among the finest in the world, and offer visitors a tranquil and beautiful escape from everyday life. Barefoot Beach, just north of downtown Naples, appears in the top ten of Dr. Beach’s 2006 America’s Best Beaches list issued every year by coastal researcher Dr. Stephen Leatherman. Travelocity also named Barefoot Beach as one of its Top Ten Secluded Beaches for the summer of 2005. Conde Nast Traveler put Naples on its list of Top Twenty Beaches in America in 2006. The Travel Channel named Naples America’s Best All-Around Beach for 2005 because of the wealth of activity choices in the area along with its expanse of lovely white sands. Consumers at Yahoo! Travel voted Naples beach in the Top Ten USA Beaches in 2003. Picturesque public boardwalks over the dunes leading to the beach are found throughout the downtown Naples area, offering multiple public access sites for those visitors not staying at a Gulf front resort.

TAKE A STROLL - Naples is also perhaps one of the best places in Florida for a scenic stroll. Opportunities for relaxing walks are plentiful in Naples, as beautiful architecture meets wondrous window shopping and trendy cafés. Secluded courtyards, outdoor sculptures and beautiful fountains highlight historic buildings throughout downtown Naples. The Naples Historical Society offers guided walking tours downtown beginning from the historic Palm Cottage on 12th Street near Naples Pier. The beach is always within easy reach for an invigorating jog or relaxing stroll at sunset. Nearby, Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary provides a 2.25-mile long boardwalk through the country’s last old growth bald cypress forest, home to hundreds of bird and animal species. For those that want to tour the Old Naples area without walking, both Naples Water & Land Tours and Naples Transportation, Tours & Event Planning offer guided Segway tours. Hop on these innovative human transport devices for a completely new way to experience Naples.

FAMILY FUN - More families are discovering the delights of Naples. Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is fully accredited by the national Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and offers unique shows and interactive animal experiences including the Meet the Keeper series, the multimedia Planet Predator show and a boat ride to tour the zoo’s cage free primate islands within a large lake. Along with beautiful beaches lining the Naples and Marco Island coastlines, there are countless guided boat tours for dolphin watching, shell collecting and sightseeing that delight every age. Guided Segway and Waverunner tours also offer fun ways to combine a fun ride with a memorable sightseeing experience involving birds and wildlife. The new Sun-n-Fun Lagoon water park at North Collier Regional Park offers huge water slides and a lazy river for tubing through the park. Naples Botanical Garden has many special events and displays that appeal to children, as well as the new permanent Pollination Pavilion with a Butterfly House and pollinating geckos and birds. Airboat rides in the nearby Everglades are popular, as is the Naples Pier, a great spot for fishing or wildlife and people watching.

GOLF CAPITAL - With nearly 90 golf courses in the Greater Naples area, the region is frequently either first or second in USA rankings of most golf holes per capita. A growing number of public courses provide ample opportunity for visitors to get into the swing, including the new Golf Club at Del Webb at Ave Maria. However, many area resorts either own their own private courses or have affiliate relationships with area private clubs. Many avid golfers have discovered that the best way to obtain tee times at Naples premiere private golf clubs is to choose an affiliated hotel for a visit. Entry onto area courses may be obtained through stays at resorts that have their own courses, including LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort, Naples Grande Beach Resort, Edgewater Beach Hotel, Marco Beach Ocean Resort, The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples (yes, there are two – the beach resort and the golf resort), The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, Golf Club & Spa, GreenLinks Golf Resort and Conference Center and the Quality Inn & Suites Golf Resort.

UNPARALLELED SHOPPING - In historic shopping districts and waterfront plazas, Naples visitors can find unique treasures ranging from original artwork by the masters to designer fashions. Third Street South, Naples’ business district at the turn of the century and now a recognized historic district, serves as a premier shopping and dining district. This has become a trendy shopping village of more than 100 distinctive shops, art galleries, outdoor cafés and restaurants – all within walking distance to the beach. The area includes Gallery Row, a collection of distinctive art galleries located near the intersection of Broad Street and Third Street South. Third Street South even has its own Street Concierge. The concierge booth is staffed daily with friendly helpers eager to point you in the right direction for dining, shopping and more. Free music and entertainment is offered along Third every Thursday evening January through May and every third Thursday from June through December.

Just a few blocks away, Fifth Avenue South has undergone a renaissance. Famed architect and urban planner Andres Duany lead the innovative redesign effort more than ten years ago that has transformed Fifth Avenue South into a dynamic pedestrian-friendly scene both day and night. Art galleries, clothing, gift and design boutiques, the Sugden Theatre, home to the Naples Players community theatre group, a hotel, cafes, bars and restaurants line Naples’ official downtown MainStreet. Entertainment and special events like art festivals are scheduled regularly by the Downtown Naples Association and other organizations. Evenings on Fifth with free live music and other entertainment happens every second Thursday.

Just a short walk from Fifth Avenue South is historic Tin City. Located at a waterfront dockside boardwalk, the eclectic tin-roofed shopping and entertainment venue features nautical and nature-themed gift shops, clothing and souvenir shops and casual seafood restaurants on the water. Across the street you’ll find Bayfront, Naples’ newest shopping, dining, arts and entertainment center. Colorful Mediterranean architecture houses a collection of upscale shops complemented by restaurants, bars, art galleries and the newly renovated Bayfront Inn 5th Avenue, all overlooking the Gordon River. The waterfront Village on Venetian Bay, evocative of the townhouses of Venice, is a destination for sophisticated fashion, jewelry, gourmet shops and fine dining in a picturesque environment. Nearby at the Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay, you’ll find boutiques, shops and restaurants surrounded by lush landscaping, covered walkways and sparkling waterways. Saks Fifth Avenue anchors numerous elegant specialty shops, with an impressive list of luxury retailers including Tiffany & Co. and Cartier. Nordstrom’s open its doors at Waterside in November 2008.

Coastland Center, the regional mall in Naples, encompasses 950,000 square feet of enclosed climate-controlled shopping, including 150 stores and small specialty shops and an impressive list of new restaurants. Prime Outlets is a haven for those with an eye for value. This treasure chest of designer outlet stores, located mid-way between Naples and Marco Island, is home to more than 40 shopping destinations, including Mikasa, Jones New York, Harry & David, Izod and Dansk. Just to the north, not far from Southwest Florida International Airport, shoppers will find designer discounts at Miromar Outlets and a wide range of shops at Gulf Coast Town Center, including BassPro Shops Outdoor World.

Some of the most unique and charming gifts may be found at the area’s hotel and resort gift shops, excellent places to shop for the perfect keepsake of your visit to paradise. Area art centers including the Marco Island Center for the Arts and von Liebig Art Center in downtown Naples also have gift shops with art produced by local artists. And, since Naples is home to many affluent winter and year-round residents, the city also has a wealth of consignment and resale shops with incredible bargains on fine furnishings and designer clothing. There is even a collection of second hand shops that collectively make up an area called the Treasure Trail along downtown’s 10th Street.